Lenovo has entered the netbook market with the IdeaPad S9 and S10 netbooks.

The netbooks are approximately one inch thin and weigh just over two pounds.

The S9 has an 8.9-inch screen while the S10 has a 10.2-inch screen. Both models come in glossy deep blue, ruby red and classic black. Lenovo has designed the keyboard to be 85 percent the size of a full-function notebook PC's keyboard, and an energy-efficient LED backlit display helps provide longer battery life than traditional displays.

The netbooks feature Wi-fi and optional Bluetooth connectivity and also have an Express Card slot so users can enable the netbook for optional high speed mobile broadband connectivity. The netbooks feature a built-in web camera, two USB ports, a 4-in-1 multicard reader and come equipped with either Microsoft Windows XP or Linux.

The IdeaPad netbooks offer up to 1 GB of memory and either 80 GB or 160 GB hard disk drive space.

Lenovo has engineered the netbooks to reduce the heat emitted on key contact areas such as the bottom of the PC, the palm rest and the keyboard. Additionally, Lenovo's OneKey Rescue System on Microsoft Windows-based netbooks helps users recover data at the touch of a button should a system error or virus occur.

The $399 starting price is certainly pleasing. That model brings 512MB of RAM and a 80GB hard drive, while a $450 version will be available with 1GB of RAM and 160GB of storage, with both being powered by 1.6GHz Atom chipsets. Windows XP will be preloaded initially, but Linpus versions will be available eventually. The display is 1024 x 600 and LED backlit, and the touchpad does multi-touch. Lenovo didn't skimp on the trimmings either, with WiFi, Bluetooth, ExpressCard, 4-in-1 card reader and a 1.3 megapixel webcam

The IdeaPad netbooks will be available in September in India at all Lenovo authorized storefronts, for approximately Rs. 15, 000 for the S9 and Rs. 17,000 for the S10.